ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: lie · cap · shower · capital · mark · stem · patient · chair

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. mark — a grade
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. stem — to come from
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. capital — a city
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. cap — a hat
  14. cap — a lid
  15. shower — rain
  16. shower — to wash
  17. chair — a leader
  18. capital — money
  19. mark — a trace
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. cap — of ice
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. lie — an untruth

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com